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A doctor and a personal injury lawyer accused of fraud and money laundering were acquitted when a £4m fraud trial collapsed amid lack of evidence.
Brian Barso, 39, a director at personal injury law firm McKeowns, and Dr Lawrence Adler, 57, were among 14 defendants in the case which was first brought to the courts in 2009. Both were charged with money laundering and fraud by false representation. Frank Harrold, a former director of BCR Legal Group, was also charged with money laundering.
The case was the culmination of a joint investigation by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) and City of London Police (CLP), who combined forces to arrest suspects of a £4 million fraud scam. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing, which led to His Honour Judge Higgins, presiding at Southwark Crown Court, to describe the prosecution as “scandalous”.
Insurance intermediary BCR Legal, which specialises in ATE legal expenses, claimed victory after the trial broke down, and launched an embittered attack criticising the “misguided action” of the IFB and CLP in bringing the case to prosecution, and claiming that the trial will cost taxpayers millions and raise questions about the insurance-industry funded police fraud unit.
As a result of the investigation, the Financial Services Authority withdrew BCR’s permissions in March 2009. Although these were reinstated a few months later, the loss of business and damage to BCR’s professional reputation still cost the firm millions, at one point forcing the company into administration.
Medico Legal News Source: Legal & Medical Magazine
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